


Raquel Ervin Is An Important Character

by Graysonsginger



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Rewrite, Gen, Raquel-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-15 23:21:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17538254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Graysonsginger/pseuds/Graysonsginger
Summary: What if Raquel had been introduced in episode ten and went to school with Conner and M'gann? What if her character had been used to her fullest potential? This is what I think those episodes could have looked like.





	Raquel Ervin Is An Important Character

**Author's Note:**

> We drink respect Raquel juice in this house.

Happy Harbor

September 7, 07:58 EDT 

It’s a warm, sunny morning on the first day of Megan Morse and Conner Kent’s new school: Happy Harbor High. Students gather on the sidewalk in front of the building and a young teen, Marvin White, skateboards in between his classmates who can be overheard gossiping.

“Have you seen that new hero, Icon?”

“He was trending on twitter wasn’t he?”

“Yeah, I heard his sidekick got the hashtag started.”

“He has a sidekick?”

But Marvin isn’t paying attention to them as he skates around, even pulling off a sick kick flip.

“Looking good, Marvin!” Raquel Ervin calls out with a laugh, and he grins as he zooms by. Sure, he looks dorky in the helmet, goggles, and knee and elbow pads, but the laughter isn’t meant to mock his safety-first attitude. Raquel’s just a genuine, kind sort of person.

But Raquel’s shout brings Marvin to the attention of a brick house of a kid. Marvin’s never seen him before but he’s all dark hair and darker scowls.

“Ah! Hey!” Marvin yells as he’s yanked back by his jacket. His board goes flying while Marvin dangles, feet not even touching the ground, with the new kid holding him aloft with just one hand.

Raquel gasps, from where she’d been sitting on the bench and drops the notebook she’d been writing in so she can rush to Marvin’s aid.

The new kid lifts Marvin even higher, and jabs a finger into his shirt, “Explain this.”

“Oh! Wh-what?” Marvin asks.

“What’s your problem?” Raquel demands, but she flinches when the boy looks over with a venomous glare. It’s not that she’s scared exactly. She’s taken down way bigger baddies than this bully, but what’s she going to do? Bubble him in front of the entire school?

As Raquel’s rethinking her strategy, Happy Harbor High’s very own power couple, wrestling star Mal Duncan and cheer-leading captain/probable valedictorian Karen Beecher walk forward. Mal removes his arm from Karen’s shoulder as he walks in front of both Karen and Raquel.

“Put my man Marvin down.”

“I-I don’t think he likes my shirt?” Marvin says as the boy looks around wearily. Assessing. Raquel knows the look because it’s the same one she’s giving him, even as she tries to look uninvested with her hands stuffed in her hoodie and her body angled slightly away, yet in the perfect position to leap forward if the situation escalates.

But instead the boy grits out, “Your shirt’s fine.”

He then turns to look at the red-headed girl who’s been standing next to him to growl pointedly at her, “Everyone’s shirt. Is. Fine.”

He drops Marvin back to the ground and Raquel breathes out a sigh of relief.

“Someone’s fine.” Karen comments to Raquel who suddenly very much wants to shrink back into her hoodie.

The new girl, with the red hair and the color-coordinated pink outfit, tries to smooth things over with the staring crowd.

“Um, hi, I’m Megan Morse.” Megan gestures to her…whoever he is, “This is Conner Kent.”

“Double alliteration?” Raquel finds herself saying without meaning to.

“I like it.” Marvin says as if Conner hadn’t been lifting him by the jacket seconds earlier. Wendy Harris gives them both a look as if to say “So not the time.”

Meanwhile, Conner and Mal stalk towards each other, and Raquel roles her eyes at whatever macho display is about to go down. Luckily Mr. Carr snaps his fingers at the students.

“Okay. Time to get to homeroom, gang.”

Mal gives Conner another look before walking by, purposefully letting their shoulders collide. While Karen follows her boyfriend, Raquel stays, hearing Conner grumble, but unable to make out the words. He starts forward towards Mal again and Raquel lurches to stop him, but Megan moves in front of him, and apparently her silent glare is all he needs to back off.

But, because Raquel moved forward, she now finds herself right next to the two new kids, who are looking at her questioningly.

“Um, hi, I’m Raquel, uh.” They’re still staring, and Megan looks so nervous, Raquel has no idea what to say. Luckily Wendy walks over with Marvin to introduce herself to them.

“Hi, I’m Wendy. I was new last year, so I know how hard it is to fit in. But you look like instant Bumblebee material to me.”

Megan and Conner stare at Wendy as if she’s speaking Martian or something. Raquel moves back to avoid getting hit as Wendy does a spin.

“Cheer leaders. The Bumblebees. Tryouts are after school.”

This makes Megan’s eyes light up and she clasps her hands in front of her face excitedly. “Thanks! I’ll be there!”

“You going to tryout this year, Raquel?” Wendy asks like she’s asked every year.

“Uh, I got track and field, so.” Raquel shrugs. That’s only the half of it now, but Wendy can’t know that. And she and Megan are walking away anyway. Raquel hunches a bit in her hoodie, glancing up to see that Conner boy grimacing again.

“That guy is fierce. Not too bright, but fierce.” Marvin comments to her as he picks up his skateboard, but the more Raquel looks, the more she recognizes the anxiety in Conner’s frustrated expression. So, finally grabbing her stuff and slinging her bag over her shoulder, Raquel says in what she hopes is a comforting way.

“Mal’s a good dude. But he’s only nice to you if you prove you’re a good dude too.”

The school bell rings and Raquel races off to class.

\---

During Class

Later in social studies, the class watches Cat Grant on the TV, reporting on the North and South Rhelasian peace talks going on right now. Mr. Carr stops the video and turns to his students.

“Who can tell me more about Rhelasia?”

Raquel should know better than to be nodding off in the first row, but she can’t help it. She was out all night stopping baddies with Icon. She’s exhausted.

“Raquel” Of course Mr. Carr calls on her.

“They have a lot of boy bands?”

“Of course, you’re an R-pop fan.” One of her classmates remarks and she gives them a dirty look.

Mr. Carr also gives the student a warning expression before saying, “Anyone else?”

“Modern Rhelasia was created in 1855 and ruled by the Boquoon Dynasty until it was divided by the Great Powers into North and South Rhelasia after World War II.” Conner recites almost robotically. Raquel turns around in her chair to stare at him.

“Very good.” Mr. Carr says, and he clearly means to move on, but Conner speaks again.

“But why are they fighting? They’re all humans- er- Rhelasians. Right?”

“Right on both accounts actually.” Mr. Carr says, going back to writing on the white board.

\---

Some time after school

Cheer tryouts are happening on the football field as the track and field team runs laps around the encircling track. Raquel runs past the bleachers and sees Conner sitting alone and sulky, and turning her head to follow his gaze, she sees Megan walking onto the field, her red hair unmistakable even from a distance.

“Ok, Megan, you’re up.” Wendy says, grinning at M’gann who steps up shyly.

She’s practiced all of the cheer routines shown on Hello Megan hundreds of times. She knows she’s ready for this as she begins the chant, a big smile on her face, her movements sharp.

“Float like a butterfly! Sting like a bee! Hornets! Hornets! Can’t be beat! Bzzz-sting! OW!”

She watches, heart in her throat, as the three top-dog cheer leaders discuss between themselves.

Clasping her hands in front of her face, M’gann asks nervously, “How’d I do?”

“I thought you did great.” Wendy says, “And I’m really sorry about this.” M’gann can’t see the other girls approaching her with a bucket of water, but Conner can and he growls. Raquel, passing him on her lap again, looks up, hearing the crack and snap of the wood bleachers under his grip. Her eyebrow quirks, but she keeps running. She looks over to Megan again and realizes the reason Conner looks like he’s going to pounce onto the field.

Water splashes down on Megan, soaking her to the bone. She shouts in surprise, the sound of wood snapping hits Raquel’s ears, and she’s not sure exactly what’s happened because Megan’s whipped around to look at Conner who’s yelling and tumbling down in front of Raquel.

Raquel overhears Wendy apologizing, “Sorry, it’s a stupid initiation ritual that I wish my teammates would abandon.”

“Initiation ritual? Hello Megan! That means I made the team! Um, I did, right?”

“You’re a Bumblebee, girl!” Karen says.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Megan says, overjoyed and clearly not caring that Conner just fell a good twenty feet.

Raquel leans down, offering a hand, “Want some help-” But she cuts herself off when she sees the notification on her communication watch that Icon had given her, of the same design as her belt though less chunky. There’s an urgent message from Augustus. She jolts up, “Sorry! I gotta go! Sorry again! Hope you’re okay. You’re okay right? Okay.” She says as she clumsily runs backwards, bumping into her teammates who are still running their laps, as she races back to the locker room.

Conner and M’gann stare after Raquel before looking to each other and shrugging. Then Megan waves the pompoms she’s just been handed with barely constrained delight, and Conner smiles, happy for her.


End file.
